Three Ukrainian men were detained on Aug. 16 after attacking a border guard while attempting to illegally cross into Romania, State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko told the Liga news outlet.
As men aged 18-60 are prohibited from leaving the country under martial law without special permission, many try to cross the border illegally – mainly to Romania or Moldova – to avoid the draft.
The three men were stopped while attempting to cross the border from Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast, the westernmost region bordering Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland.
"The men, having attacked the serviceman, took away his weapon and fled in the direction of the neighboring country," Demchenko told Liga in comments published on Aug. 17.
"Additional units were dispatched to search for the assailants and check the approaches to the border. The Romanian border guards and law enforcement agencies were also informed."
One of the men, a Zakarpattia Oblast resident, was detained by Ukrainian border guards while trying to overcome a barrier installed on the border. Romanian police detained the second Ukrainian citizen, finding the stolen weapon in his possession, Demchenko said.
The third offender was detained soon after.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said in June that dozens of people try to illegally cross Ukraine's border into the EU every day. According to the Romanian police, 11,000 Ukrainian men have illegally crossed the border into Romania between the start of Russia's full-scale invasion and May 2024.
The attempts sometimes prove fatal. Several men had been found dead while attempting the perilous crossing across the Tysa River, which runs along the borders of Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, or while crossing the mountains.
One Ukrainian soldier was reportedly shot and killed by border guards while trying to illegally cross into Moldova in mid-July.
Martin Fornusek
